☽Athenea☾

𝓫𝓪𝓫𝔂 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓬𝓱

[meme-xx]

Full moon (Mar. 9, 2020)

[moonlightacademy]

Moonlight Academy’s Witchcraft Book PDF Links

Note: I have not been able to read through all of these yet, I am slowly making my way down the list. If there is a book that is offensive or incorrect please send me a message and I will review it and remove it from the list if necessary. 

Modern Magick Second Edition; Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts by Donald Michael Kraig 

The Witch’s Magical Handbook by Gavin Frost and Yvonne Frost

The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft, and Wicca by Rosemary Ellen Guiley 

Nocturnal Witchcraft; Witchcraft After Dark By Konstantinos 

Call of the Horned Piper by Nigel Aldcroft Jackson 

Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

Encyclopedia of Spells by Michael Johnstone 

The Mystical World of Ancient Witchcraft; An easy Insider Guide To the life changing Power of your Magick Energy by Rose Ariadne 

Old World Witchcraft; Ancient Ways for Modern Days by Raven Grimassi  

The Study of Witchcraft; A Guidebook to Advanced Wicca by Deborah Lipp

Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland 

The Witch’s Master Grimoire; An Encyclopedia of Charms, Spells, Formulas, and Magical Rites by Lady Sabrina

Witchcraft in Tudor and Stuart England; A regional and comparative study guide by Alan Macfarlane 

The Pagan Federation; Witchcraft Information Package

Herbal Magick; A Witch’s Guide to Herbal Enchantments, Folklore, and Divination by Gerina Dunwich

The basics of Magick by K.Amber

The Book of Night Magick by Phillip D. Williams

The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore By Patricia Monaghan 

Celtic Mythology A-Z By Gienna Matson & Jeremy Roberts

Storytelling; An Encyclopedia of Mythology and Folklore 

Norse Mythology; Legends of Gods and Heroes by Peter Andreas Munch

Constellation Legends By Norm McCarter

Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology By Luke Roman and Monica Roman

Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena; Mythical Creatures By Linda S. Godfrey

A Guide to Astrology By Fredrick White

How to Use Astrology; How and Why it Works By Michael Erlewine 

A Manual of Astrology

Astrology for Dummies by Rae Orion

The Astrology Book; The Encyclopedia of Heavenly Influences By James R. Lewis

Astrology Course

The Cyber Spellbook; Magick in the Virtual World By Sirona Knight and Patricia Telesco 

Herbs in Magick and Alchemy; Techniques from  Ancient Herbal Lore By C.L. Zalewski

Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs By Scott Cunningham 

The Magical Household; Spells & Rituals for the Home By Scott Cunningham & David Harrington 

Herbs Magickal and Otherwise 

The Complete Book of Incense, Oils, & Brews By Scott Cunningham 

Plant Powers, Poisons, and Herb Craft By Dale Pendell **

**This book contains information on Poisons and is for informational purposes only, read at your own risk. 

The Magical and Ritual Use of Herbs By Richard Alan Miller

Cunnigham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic By Scott Cunningham

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs; Their Medicinal and Culinary Uses

Spiritual Alchemy; The Inner Path

Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy By Manfred M.Junius 

Real Alchemy; A Primer of Practical Alchemy By Robert Allen Bartlett

An Illustrated History of Alchemy and Early Chemistry 

Alchemy Unveiled By Johannes Helmond 

Medicinal Plants in Folk Tradition; An Ethnobotany of Britain & Ireland By David E. Allen & Gabrielle Hatfield

Slavic Pagan World

Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen By Scott Cunningham

Cunningham’s Book of Shadows By Scott Cunningham

Learning Tarot

The Pictorial Key to the Tarot By A.E Waite

Tarot Symbolism & Divination 

Tarot; Mirror of the Soul By Gerd Ziegler 

Tarot Keys By Andrea Green 

The Symbolism of the Tarot by P. D. Ouspensky

Healing Crystals; The A-Z Guide to 430 gemstones By Michael Geinger 

Dooney’s Crystal Database

An Introduction Guide to Crystals and Healing Stones By Ron & Sue Windred

The Healing Crystal First Aid Manuel By Michael Geinger

Practical Crystal Healing By Nicole Lanning 

Divination Systems by Nicole Yalsovac

How Divination Systems Work

The Path of the witch

The Weiser Field Guide to Witches

Practicing the Witch’s Craft By Douglas Ezzy

Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart

Hope you enjoy! Please feel free to add to the list!

Moonlight Academy

[the-witches-tea]

My collection of PDFs!

Here is my full collection of PDFs I currently own and I’m still looking to expand this list. On this google drive you find a vary of tabs of subjects. 

Some tabs are empty as I am still looking for PDFs for them!

If you would like to submit a PDF please do so in my Submission link! Please read the guidelines and make sure the PDF isn’t in there already. 

Reader Beware! I have not read all of these books/pdfs (I don’t have enough time too) so I cannot guarantee the quality of each one. If you feel like one of the PDFs may be problematic for a number of reasons though, please send your concerns to my ask box. 

[witchathenea]

The four elements: EARTH

Earth is physical reality. It symbolically represents both the womb and the grave. Earth is the element that brings forth life and then reclaims it. Magically, earth is viewed as the final outcome, a place where the other elements can physically manifest their nature. Earth is our base of operation, in which we exhibit the final product of our imagination. Earth is the magician’s altar, a place to create change in accordance with will.

Earth Correspondences

Values: Responsibility, perseverance, experience, authority.

Colors: Yellow, brown, russet.

SymbolsSquare, cornucopia, spindle, scythe, salt.

Tools: Shield, pentacle, flail, horn.

Plants: Alfalfa, cotton, oats, patchouli, vetivert, wheat.

Stones: Moss agate, jasper, malachite, peridot, tourmaline.

Places: Caves, forests, fields, gardens, canyons.

Zodiac: Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo.

Archangel: Auriel.

Time: Midnight, winter.

Direction: North.

Process: Responsible, practical, organized, steady, grounded.

Earth incense and fragance

The following herbs, oils, and incense mixtures should be used when doing earth magick. Because herbs are related to earth, their vibrations will enhance all your magickal works, especially those affiliated with the earth element.

Honeysuckle (money, protection): Wear honeysuckle oil to attract money. Mix honeysuckle oil with a bit of vervain for protection. Burn honeysuckle incense on the night of the new moon to attract money.

Magnolia (fidelity): Wear magnolia oil to keep loved ones faithful. Burn magnolia incense in the bedroom to maintain a faithful relationship.

Patchouli (money, lust): Wear patchouli oil to entice passion in the one you love or desire.

Vervain (protection, purification, youth): Mix vervain and patchouli oil together and wear as a veil of powerful protection. Mix vervain with sage to cleanse and protect your home from negative influences. A drop of vervain oil on a cloth placed inside your bed pillow will keep you feeling young.

Vetivert (love, luck, money): Wear a drop of vetivert to attract both love and money. Gamblers rub vetivert oil on their hands before playing cards for good luck.

EARTH MAGICK

"Earth Prosperity Spell": effective if you are looking for a job.

Begin on the night of the new moon. In a small brown paper bag, collect earth from the following places:

A bank near where you live.

A store where you enjoy shopping.

The company you would like to work for.

The nearest crossroads.

Railroad tracks running North and South.

The following night, inscribe an orange candle with the name of the company you would like to work for. Place the candle in the center of your altar (or on a small table). Around the candle, make a small circle with the earth you have collected, as you verbally declare all the things you will do once you have the job. Light the candle.

In your mind’s eye see yourself working at a job, spending money, shopping at your favorite store, making decisions, and even traveling. Allow the candle to burn for two hours.

Repeat each night until the candle has been consumed. Scoop up the earth that surrounds the candle and place it in a small orange pouch, along with a small crystal. Carry the pouch with you when looking for the job you desire.

[witchathenea]

The four elements: AIR

Air is symbolically related to breath. It is the subtle realm between the physical and spiritual planes. Air provides us with inspiration, illumination, and the ability to communicate our ideas to others. Air represents new beginnings, the thought process, and creativity. Air helps us to focus and direct energy toward a desired goal. It is our ability to think and reason.

Air Correspondences

Values: Inspiration, illumination, awareness, perception

Colors: Blue, silver, white, gray

Symbols: Circle, bird, bell, sylph, flute, chimes, clouds

Tools: Wand, rod, staff

Plants: Almond, broom, clover, eyebright, lavender, pine

Stones: Amethyst, sapphire, citrine, azurite

Places: Sky, mountain tops, tree tops, bluffs, airplanes

Zodiac: Aquarius, gemini, libra

Time: Spring, dawn

Archangel: Raphael

Direction: East

Process: Thinking, reading, speaking, praying, singing

Air incense and fragance

Ambergris (love, lust): Wear ambergris to attract love. Mix Ambergris with a small amount of vanilla, burn on the night of the full moon to increase passion.

Benzoin (purification, prosperity): Burn benzoin to clear a room of unwanted vibrations. Mix benzoin with frankincense and burn during the new moon to clear confusion, and increase psychic powers.

Lavender (love, protection): Wear lavender oil to soothe the mind and body, and bring visions of love. Mix lavender with sage and burn during the waning moon to purify and protect home.

Pine (healing, money): Burn to clear air and help with breathing problems. Mix pine with eucalyptus and burn to enhance life and bring money.

Sage (wisdom, protection): Wear sage oil to clear confusion. Place sage leaves under a door mat to protect the home from negativity. Burn sage during the waning moon for protection and to clear confusion.

Star Anise (psychic power, luck): Burn or wear the seeds to increase psychic power. On a windy day scatter the seeds in the wind to bring luck.

Sweetgrass (spiritual attunement): Burn sweetgrass to call in the spirits. Mix sweetgrass with lavender and burn to protect the home from unwanted spirits.

AIR MAGICK

"Knot the Wind": for inspiration and creativity

Items needed: 3’ (7,52 cm) strand of blue cord; compass.

The calling or raising of the wind is a very old magickal process, originally used when the wind was vital for sailing. Witches were reputed to harness the power of the wind in a knotted cord, and then sell it to sailors. When untied, the first knot would bring a gentle breeze. The second would bring a strong wind, and the third a gale. Modern Witches use the knot spell to for inspiration and creativity. To harness the power of the wind you will need a strand of blue cord and a compass.

Go to the highest hilltop you can find. Face the East. Take several deep, cleansing breaths. Hold the cord above your head. When the wind begins to blow, tie the first knot, as you say the following:

"I knot the wind

The wind of desire

I knot the wind

The wind that shall inspire."

Repeat the above conjuration as you tie the second and third knots. Take a few moments to feel the cleansing power of the wind. Ask the wind to free you from all negative thoughts and vibrations. Take your cord and hang it above your desk or work space. Whenever you feel the need for inspiration, untie the first knot and say the following:

"I free the wind

The wind of desire

I free the wind

My mind to inspire."

[heatherwitch]

Valentine’s Witchery

Witchy things for everyone on Valentine’s day, not just the hopeless romantics! (More related masterposts linked at the bottom!)

Last updated February of 2021, please inform me of broken links via askbox!

Correspondences:

Flowers: Roses, jasmine, lilacs, daisies, marigold, most flowers!

Spices and Herbs: Vanilla, lavender, chamomile, pepper, basil, cinnamon, bay leaves.

Crystals: Rose quartz, pearls, opal, citrine, jade, clear quartz. 

Incense: Amber, cherry, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, ylang-ylang [X]

Glamour:

Aphrodite glamour water

Siren’s lipstick spell

Eye catching glamour spell

Glamour solid perfume

“Life of the party” glamour charm

Attracting Romance Spells:

Simple love attraction spell

Spell to attract love into your life

To attract a kind person for a relationship

Love spell for a third party

Love drawing bath soak

Romance Tarot Spreads:

Valentine tarot spread (3 card)

Love tarot spread (4 card)

What are the chances here? (6 card)

Anti-Romance Spells:

Ice queen breath spray 

To repel an unwanted lover

Love repression spell

Anti-lust spell

“Cover My Ass” Anti-Harassment Charm

F*ck off… “leave me alone vibe” glamour

For the Brokenhearted: 

Mend the heart spell

Spell for emotional healing and moving forward

Forgetting that ex spell

Simple spell to heal the heart

Selkie spell to ease heartbreak

Heal your heart potion

Self Love Spells:

Lavender self love jar

Self love spell

A simple self love spell

Self love bath

Self love bath spell

Self Love Tarot Spreads:

Beautiful you tarot spread (3 card)

Self love spread for V day! (6 card)

Self love spread (7 card)

These lovely masterposts:

themanicnami’s list of love spells

sylvaetria’s list of magic for strengthening romantic bonds

urbanspellcrafts’s list of heartbreak-related magic

orriculum’s valentine’s day masterpost

[witchathenea]

ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ ɴᴀᴍᴇ?

Many Witches choose a name which, they feel, reflects their personality or, in some way, describes their interests or feelings. Names are important. Your Witch Name need not be kept a solemn secret but at least respect it. Use it only with other Witches or, at least, only with those close to you.

Of course you may be quite happy with your regular, given name. If you want to use that as your Witch name also, that is fine. However, check it out numerologically, as describe below, before you make a final decision Some Witches take names from history or mythology, especially those names associated with their branch of the Craft. Others make up names.

Whichever name you choose, or feel especially drawn to, check out to see if it is in fact right for you. You do this through numerology. There are a number of different systems of numerology. The below is probably the most commonly used. (I'm not sure if I can add a picture on this space so you can easily check the numerology alphabet, so I put it at the end of the post. If anyone knows how to put the alphabet in here I would appreciate some info about it!)

Find your Birth Number by adding the digits of your date of birth.

I was born on 4/13/1999

So my number would be 4+1+3+1+9+9+9= 36

Bring that down to a single digit 3+6= 9

Find the Name Number of the name you have chosen. This is done by equating all the letters of the alphabet with the first nine numbers. (Picture on the end of the post)

My Witch name is ATHENEA a (1), t(2), h(8), e(5), n(5), e(5), a (1)

So my name number would be 1+2+8+5+5+5+1= 27

Then I bring that number to a single digit 2+7= 9

Check that your Birth Number is the same as your chosen Witch Name Number.

Birth Number= 9

Witch Name Number= 9

It may take a while to find a name, or choice of names, that you like and that are numerologically correct, but it is well worth it. Perhaps the best method is to get an assortment of appropriate letters and keep rearranging them until you hit an attractive combination.

Why does the name have to match your Birth Number? Because your Birth Number is unchanging. People can change their names, addresses, etc., but they cannot change their date of birth. By choosing a new name that matches that Birth Number, you are then aligning yourself with that same vibration; the vibration of the moment you chose to be born. As mentioned above, there are several different systems of numerology. This is probably the most popular and accurate. But if you feel more comfortable with a different system, then use it. The important thing is, whichever system you use, attune your new name to your Birth Number.

[witchathenea]

BASICS OF MAGICK

Timing: The phases of the Moon are important to the proper working of magick. Taking the two main phases: the time from the New Moon, through the First Quarter, to the Full Moon is known as the Waxing Moon. From the Full, through the Last Quarter, to the New is known as the Waning Moon (moon growing in size=waxing; decreasing in size= waning). Basically, constructive magick (for growth) is done during the waxing cycle and magick for destruction is done during the waning cycle. Constructive magick would include such things as love, success, protection, health, fertility. Destructive magick would include such things as binding spells, separation, elimination, extermination.

Feeling: You must want whatever you are working at to really happen. You must want it with all your being. You must put every infinite particle of power into that desire, that urge for the act to come to pass. This strong "feeling" is, in effect, the raised "Power" used in magick. As an aid, a booster, to your power there can be used a number of amplifiers. One of these is Chant and another is Rhyme. The rhythmic chanting of a spell, with a solid, regular beat, can do much to intensify your feeling and, thereby, increase your power. Similarly, dancing can raise the power and so can a number of other treatments, including sex (more info about it on following posts).

Cleansing: Now I'm not talking about the room but of your body, externally and internally. Bathe the body with a spoonful of sea salt. Also prepare the inner body by the removal of toxins. This is done by fasting for twenty-four hours before working magick. No alcohol, no nicotine and no sexual activity (more specific details on following posts).

Wiccan Rede: Whenever doing magick, always consider "will your action harm anyone?" If the answer is "Yes"... don't do it.

[witchathenea]

TEMPLE PURIFICATION

On my last post I wrote about building a temple. On this one you will find how to cleanse it for the first time before entering your circle dpoing an initial purification.

*Ideally this should be done on the night of the' New Moon*

Fill a dish (a saucer will do) with water and, kneeling, place it on the floor in front of you. Place your right forefinger (left, if you are left-handed) into the water. Imagine a bright white light streaming down from above, into the crown of your head. Feel it surge through your entire body and then direct it down your arm. Concentrate all your energies to send it down your arm, down the finger and into the water. It may help to dose your eyes. When you feel you have directed all the power you can manage into the water, keep your finger there and say:

"Here do I direct my power,

Through the agencies of the God and the Goddess,

Into this water, that it might be pure and clean

As is my love for the Lord and the Lady."

Now take a teaspoonful of sea salt and pour it into the water. Stir it nine times, clockwise, with your finger and three times say:

"Salt is Life.

Here is Life,

Sacred and new;

Without strife."

Take the dish of salted water and sprinkle itusing your fingers in each and every corner of the temple room. If the room is irregular in shape, with alcoves and closets, sprinkle every corner of every alcove and closet also. As you sprinkle, say one of the below (or make up something of your own, along these lines):

"Ever as I pass through the ways

Do I feel the presence of the Gods.

I know that in aught I do

They are with me.

They abide in me

And I in them, Forever.

No evil shall be entertained,

For purity is the dweller.

Within me and about me.

For good do I strive

And for good do I live.

Love unto all things.

So be it, Forever."

Seax-Wica Psalm

or

"Soft is the rain, it gently falls

Upon the fields beneath.

It lulls the heart, it stills the wind,

Gives solitude I seek.

It patters down, so gentle yet

It ne'er does bend a leaf,

And yet the water that is there

Will wash away all grief.

For smoothness follows in the wake,

And quiet and peace and love -

Are all around in freshness new,

Come down from clouds above.

All evil go, flow out from here

And leave all fresh and plain.

Let negativity not come Into this room again.

For love I now find all around,

So soft, so still so sure;

I can perform my rituals

As peace and quiet endure."

Now light some incense. Stick incense or cones will do but you will find that, for ritual and magickal work, it is better to burn powdered incense on a charcoal bric-quet, in a hanging censer. Go again about the room, this time swinging the censer in each and every corner. And again say the lines you said when you sprinkled the water.

[witchathenea]

BUILDING YOUR TEMPLE!

Using a complete room: First of all, take a compass and establish the alignment of the room. Mark the north, east, south and west. Your altar is going to be placed in the center of the room and it is preferable that it be set up so that when standing before it you are facing EAST.

On the floor around the altar you will be marking a circle. When entering and leaving the Circle, before and after a ritual, you will do so from the EAST, so if your room is rectangular rather than square you might wish to leave extra room on that side. Closets, for the storing of your Craft supplies, might also be placed in this larger area. Unless you live alone, or share your beliefs with everyone in your home, you will need closets that can be locked. You will be storing candles, incense, charcoal, wine and, most importantly, your Working Tools and Book. Of course, if you can lock the room itself then it is possible to leave your altar permanently setup and have your supplies on open shelves. Actually this is much the better arrangement.

Decoration of the temple room is a matter for individual taste. It can vary from all walls being done in a neutral color, to vivid realistic murals being painted. There are temples varying from those that look like prehistoric caves to those that look like a clearing in a forest, with trees all around and stars on the ceiling above. Choose what you feel is right for you.

Before any decoration or use of the room, it should be thoroughly cleaned. The floor, walls and ceiling should be scrubbed, with sea salt added to the water and cleaning agent. It is not necessary to do any elaborate cleansing ceremony at this point, since the Circle will be consecrated before each and every ritual you perform in it. However, once any decoration of your room is finished (other than the actual marking of the Circle itself) you should do an initial purification> https://witchathenea.tumblr.com/post/644788848549937152/temple-purifcation

Using the corner of a room: You can take the corner of any room. The ideal would be an area at least five feet square. You might like to arrange rails and curtains so that the area can be curtained off from the rest of the room, though this is not a necessity. You may paint this section of the wall differently from the rest of the room, to suit your desires. If you can choose an area in the east it is preferable. Keep your working tools and supplies locked away in any convenient place but, here in your temple area, keep your altar. You may keep it pushed up against the wall when not in use, if you wish.

On the altar always keep an altar candle and your representations of the deities. These can be either statuettes or pictures. This temple area should be cleaned, sprinkled and censed in the same way as the full room temple.

No space?: The main thing is to have somewhere to lock away your Working Tools. If you can have an altar and leave it set up with candle and deity figures, you can put it anywhere convenient in the room. Again the east is preferable. If it is not possible to have a regular altar then you can get by using a coffee-table or similar. In this case keep your deity figures wherever convenient... on a table, shelf or sideboard. They should be respected by your roommates. When you are able to do your rituals (presumably alone) all you need do is clear enough floor space anywhere convenient and set up your Circle, altar, etc.. Afterwards you will have to clear everything away again.

Outdoors: If you you are lucky enough to have access to a small clearing in the woods, or any piece of ground where you can be private, then don't hesitate to use it. There will be no need for the cleansing ritual; you will proceed as with the Circles of Power and Protection (more on following posts).

[glamourmagick]

Please interact with this post if you MAINLY post about any combo of these things -

witchcraft

hellenism

spirit work

divination

general spiritual stuffs

I’d love to give you a follow!

[witchathenea]

THE HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT- Part III

In 1736 the Witchcraft Act was replaced by an Act that stated that there was no such thing as Witchcraft and to pretend to have occult powers was to face being charged with fraud. By the late seventeenth century the surviving members of the Craft had gone underground; into hiding. For the next three hundred years, to all appearances Witchcraft was dead. But a religion which had lasted twenty thousand years, in effect, did not die so easily. In small groups—surviving covens, oftimes only of family members—the Craft continued.

In England, in 1951, the last laws against Witchcraft were finally repealed. This cleared the way for the Witches themselves to speak up. In 1954 Dr. Gerald Brousseau Gardner, in his book Witchcraft Today, said, in effect, that Witchcraft still was a religion and he was a witch himself. He went on to tell how the Craft was still very much alive, albeit underground. He was the first to give the Witches' side of the story. Yet these surviving covens had learned their lesson. They did not wish to take the chance of coming out into the open. Who was to say the persecutions could not start again?

For millenia the Old Religion had been a purely oral tradition. It was not until the persecutions, with the separating of covens and the resultant loss of intercommunication, that anything was put into writing. At that time, when the Witches were having to meet in the shadows, the rituals were finally written down in what became known as The Book of Shadows. The Book was then copied and recopied as it passed, over the years, from coven leader to coven leader. It was only natural that errors would creep in. Gardner took the rituals of the coven to which he belonged—a basically English/Celtic group—and rewrote them as he felt they should have been. This form then became known as "Gardnerian Witchcraft".

[witchathenea]

THE HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT- Part II

As the centuries passed, the smear campaign against non-Christians continued. What the Wiccans did was reversed and used against them. They did magick to promote fertility and increase the crops; the Church claimed that they made women and cattle barren and blighted the crops. No one apparently stopped to think that if the Witches really did what they were accused of, they would suffer equally themselves. After all, they too had to eat to live. An old ritual act for fertility was for the villagers to go to the fields in the light of the full moon and to dance around the field astride pitchforks, poles and broomsticks; riding them like hobby-horses. They would leap high in the air as they danced, to show the crops how high to grow. A harmless enough form of sympathetic magick. But the Church claimed not only that they were working against the crops, but that they actually flew through the air on their poles.

In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII produced his Bull against Witches. Two years later two infamous German monks, Heinrich Institoris Kramer and Jakob Sprenger, produced their incredible concoction of anti-Witchery, the Malleus Maleficarum (The Witch Hammer). In this book definite instructions were given for the prosecution of Witches. Gradually the hysteria kindled by Kramer and Sprenger began to spread. It spread like a fire—flashing up suddenly in unexpected places; spreading quickly across the whole of Europe. For nearly three hundred years the fires of the persecutions raged. Humankind had gone mad. The inhabitants of entire villages where one or two Witches were suspected of living, were put to death with the cry: "Destroy them all... the Lord will know his own!"

In 1586 the Archbishop of Treves decided that the local Witches had caused the recent severe winter. By dint of frequent torture a "confession" was obtained and one hundred twenty men and women were burned to death on his charge that they had interfered with the elements. A rough estimate of the total number of people burned, hung or tortured to death on the charge of Witchcraft, is nine million. Obviously not all of these were followers of the Old Religion. This had been a wonderful opportunity for some to get rid of anyone against whom they bore a grudge.

An excellent example of the way in which the hysteria developed and spread is found in the case of the so-called Witches of Salem, Massachusetts. It is doubtful if any of the victims hung were really followers of the Old Religion. Just possibly Bridget Bishop and Sarah Good were, but the others were nearly all pillars of the local church up until the time the hysterical children "cried out" on them.

The early Church was extremely harsh on its people. It not only governed the peasants' way of worship but also their ways of life and love. Even between married couples, sexual intercourse was frowned upon. It was felt that there should be no joy from the act, it being permitted solely for procreation. Intercourse was illegal most of the time, there was a grand total of approximately two months in the year only when it was possible to have sexual relations with your spouse (without deriving pleasure from it). This, together with other such harshness, led to a rebellion—albeit a clandestine one.

The people—this time the Christians—finding that their lot was not bettered by praying to the so-called God of Love, decided to pray to his opposite instead. If God wouldn't help them, perhaps the Devil would. So Satanism came into being. A parody of Christianity; a mockery of it. It was a revolt against the harshness of the Church. As it turned out the "Devil" did not help the poor peasant either. But at least he was showing his disdain for the authorities; he was going against the establishment. It did not take Mother Church long to find out about this rebellion. Satanism was anti-Christian. Witchcraft was also—in their eyes—anti-Christian. Ergo, Witchcraft and Satanism were one and the same.

[witchathenea]

THE HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT- Part I

Twenty-five thousand years ago Paleolithic Wo/Man depended upon hunting to survive so they believed in a multitude of gods out of awing respect for the wind, the lightinin, the rushing stream, etc. This is what we call Animism. A god controlled that wind. A god controlled the sky. A god controlled the waters. But most of all, a god controlled the hunt. Most of the animals hunted were horned so Wo/Man pictured the God of Hunting also as being horned. Along with this God of Hunting there was a Goddess, related to the fertility, not only of the tribe but of the animals they had to hunt. We don't know which one came first, or if they evolved together, anyway that is immaterial.

With the development of agriculture there was a further elevating of the Goddess. Now she also had to watch over the fertility of the crops. The year, then, fell naturally into two halves. In the summer food could be grown, and so the Goddess predominated; in the winter Wo/Man had to revert to hunting, and so the God predominated. The other deities (of wind, thunder, lightning, etc.) gradually fell into the background, as of secondary importance.

As Wo/Man developed, so did the religion, they spread across Europe, taking the gods along. As different countries developed, so the God and Goddess acquired different names, yet they were essentially the same deities. By now Wo/Man had learned not only to grow food but also to store it for the winter. So hunting became less important. The Horned God came now to be looked upon more as a God of Nature generally, and a God of Death and what lies after. The Goddess was still of Fertility and also of Rebirth, for Wo/Man had developed a belief in a life after death.

With the development of different rituals—for fertility, for success in the hunt, for seasonal needs—there necessarily developed a priesthood (a selected few more able to bring results when directing the rituals). In some areas of Europe these ritual leaders, or priests and priestesses, became known as the Wicca*—the "Wise Ones".

With the coming of Christianity there was not the immediate mass-conversion that is often suggested. Christianity was a man-made religion. It had not evolved gradually and naturally over thousands of years, as the Old Religion —the Wiccans and other pagans— did. Whole countries were classed as Christian when in actuality it was only the rulers who had adopted the new religion, and often only superficially at that. Throughout Europe generally the Old Religion was still prominent for the first thousand years of Christianity.

An attempt at mass conversion was made by Pope Gregory the Great. He thought that one way to get the people to attend the new Christian churches was to have them built on the sites of the older temples, where the people were accustomed to gathering together to worship. He instructed his bishops to smash any "idols" and to sprinkle the temples with holy water and rededicate them.

When the first Christian churches were being constructed, the only artisans available to build them were from among the pagans themselves. In decorating the churches these stonemasons and woodcarvers very cleverly incorporated figures of their own deities. In this way, even if they were forced to attend the churches the people could still worship their own gods there. In those early days, when Christianity was slowly growing in strength, the Old Religion was one of its rivals. It has frequently been said that the gods of an old religion become the devils of a new. This was certainly the case here. The God of the Old Religion was a horned god. So, apparently, was the Christian's Devil. This type of reasoning is used by the Church even today.

Non-Christians at that time became known as Pagans and Heathens. "Pagan" comes from the Latin Pagani and simply means "people who live in the country". The word "Heathen" means "one who dwells on the heath". So the terms were appropriate for non-Christians at that time, but they bore no connotations of evil and their use today in a derogatory sense is quite incorrect.